Friday, July 30, 2010

1. What is your spouse’s best feature?
Mr. Man has a HOTT back! It has always been my favorite feature on him... but I am starting to fall in love with his chest. It has grown so much, and is huge. I am a sucker for muscles, for sure.

2. Mild, Medium or Hot sauce?
Ummm.. Do you know where I am from? LOUISIANA! Bring on the hot sauce!

3. What is the worst uniform you had to wear for a job?

I have only had two jobs in my life. Well 5 if you count 2 babysitting jobs and another job that was basically the same as the other. Anyway, I worked at a grocery store in high school. I only had to wear these polo shirts that had the name of the store on them. They were actually cute, but they did not have anything small enough for me. I finally talked them into order kids sizes!! The other job I wore a navy polo, kakhi's, and a lab coat. I actually miss that job and the lab coats! They were my security.

4. You have invisible powers… where is the first place you would go?
To heaven to get a glimpse of God and the golden gates.

5. What’s left on your “to do” list for this summer?
I need to hit the beach here in England at least once. I have not done it yet. We went to the beach in Venice, but not England. I want to picnic on the beach with the whole family. Me, our baby boy, and Mr. Man!

The first day in Florence we familiarized ourselves with the city, did a little sightseeing, and prepared for Pisa and our last day in Florence.

The second day we went to Pisa.

Our last day in Florence, we finished seeing everything we wanted to see while there. That included many churches, old buildings, Ponte Vecchio, and a theater.

Our first stop was to the Church of San Lorenzo. Inside the church had an old library with its original books.

They also housed a large amount of famous relics.

We then went back to the main Florence Duomo, which is the Bascilica of Santa Maria del Fiore. We went to it the first day and climbed the dome, but we want to see what the inside had to offer as a church.

We visited the Basilica of Santa Croce. This is a picture of part of the ceiling inside of it. It also was home to some very famous paintings.

This is a sculptor that was in one of the famous buildings there. It was once a set of apartments, now a museum. This sculptor was one of Mr. Man's favorite. I guess because of the masculinity it showed.

We then began walking to see the Ponte Vecchio, where we saw many of random things.

There were some random money makers on the street. The second picture is off one of them and Mr. Man. The guy was standing there with his eyes shut. When Mr. Man gave him money in his little container, he reached out for Mr. Man and asked for him to come see. Mr. Man walked up to him and he began huging, caressing, and admiring Mr. Man. It was so funny. Most of my pictures are blurry because I was laughing so hard. People around us were laughing, too. It was way funny!

We then came across Ponte Vecchio. We took a picture of it, then walked across it. The second picture is the view from it.

We had to (of course) go to Pizzale Michealangelo. We did see the original David, but we also wanted a picture of the replica since cameras were not allowed in the museum. This had to be the most spectular time of the trip. I was amazed at how big the original David was and how perfect it looked. I was completely mesmerized. Mr. Man and I just stared at it for a while, just sat on a bench in front of it and examined every piece of it. (This picture is just the replica. The replica is a whole lot smaller, too!)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

I am not talking about the Air Force in general. I am talking about the shop he is currently in. I freaking love it. Sometimes I do complain, and then something hits me in the face and I always wonder how in the world I ever complained over such small things.

First off, since Mr. Man has been back so much has happened. He is cherished in his shop, and it shows. To top it off, we get along with everyone! And they have actually (from day 1) have taken the time out to get to know me as his wife. It's amazing when there is actually a strong bond between everyone in the work environment. It's nice on my side because since Mr. Man is such a hard worker, we are spoiled. The last shop he was in, which was for about a year when we got here, never once let him take leave. Wait, I lie. He took leave once when my family came up to visit right before he was about to change shops. I think they would have given him leave if he would have tried harder, but they were selfish and Mr. Man never wanted anyone to suffer or work overtime. Still doesn't to be honest. But thankfully, everyone does their job in this new shop and everyone is willing to pull others' slack when leave, travels, emergencies, anything approaches. They do favors for one another.

I guess this comes from being part of the best of the best. I mean, it's not the best of the best realistically. I do not mean that, but one definitely can not just get this job by being AMMO. They have to go through training and special duties in order to get it. Most of the time you have to be chosen. Now, there are times where they just need people because they are undermanned and they will start pulling whoever, whatever they need. Thankfully this has not happened to Mr. Man's shop. The fact that they are all Sergeants (for the most part) helps out a lot, too. They work together as a team versus playing the rank game. Mr. Man is actually the lowest ranked one in there, but he is still able to call some shots, which is amazing for me on the outside world. Their professionalism and hard work totally shows through. I love it.

Another awesome thing is they let people pick and chose their TDY's and training dates. With TDY's they generally will ask for volunteers and normally someone will raise their hand and take it. Now if no one takes it, then they will pick and chose themselves. For training dates, they will work with your schedule. I have never once ever told Mr. Man he could not go on a TDY. He is generally the first one to throw his hand in the air and commit to it. I never have a problem with this, which leads to what I am about to tell you.

Mr. Man has been back from Afghanistan for about 2 and half months. Just this past week they had opening dates for a training he needs to do out in California. He was approved for the dates. It all works out for us because he leaves when I start my next set of classes, which I am doubling up. And he gets back right as it calms down, and I should be in the groove of things. Perfect timing. Not to mention, if he did not take this date, he could have been slotted for a mock deployment in Iceland for 3 months, which he would have missed the holidays. He came home last night and told me that, and I actually felt bad. I asked him if he could change his training dates to a later time and go to Iceland. I immediately knew I would go visit because I would love to go to Iceland. Mr. Man did not want to do that since he was originally suppose to go on this training when he first got here 2 years ago. Not to mention, we do miss each other and still have lots of catching up to do. I can not blame him, and of course I would prefer being separated from him for 2 to 3 weeks versus 3 months. But the fact that we could probably work it out if we he wanted to is pretty amazing in my eyes.

Right as I began fussing about his nights to swings to days escapade, all this gets thrown our way. Is God not on our side? It's quite amazing how things work out. It's like our lives from the beginning put itself in its own place without us having to make much effort. We are truly blessed in the lives we live.

I will never forget the day Mr. Man found out he was getting a shop change. He was not a happy camper. He wanted to "actually do work." He wanted to be hands-on building bombs and not filing paperwork, sending out jobs, and keeping track of all the parts - sitting behind a computer. He wanted to commit to putting them together like he did before. I was ecstatic when he told me. I was tired of all the drama and other bull mess that happened in his last shop that I did not care where he went. I just knew it had to be better than where he was. I was right! And now he is grateful for this experience and is content with being where he is. He has grown a passion for what he does, and he realizes how important that job is to the squadron. It amazes me how selfless he is and everyone he works with.

The leave side of it. Since he has been in this shop, which has been a little less than a year, he has taken leave twice successfully. One was for Italy, which was 2 weeks, and the other is for Ireland, which will be 4 days. Seriously, this is amazing! I am thrilled. I am happy. I am thankful. I am blessed. We are all of these. It makes me look back, reexamine ourselves, and realize that we are truly blessed. In this shop, the "not-so-fun" moments turn into the most spectacular and exciting moments in our lives. Memories that will last forever, and we will cherish forever.

So today, I take a promise with myself to never, ever, ever fuss about his crazy schedule or long hours. Because in the end, that one sacrifice gives us unlimited experiences.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

First off, I do not drink often. When I do, it is for special occasions. I never drink to get drunk although I will not lie and say I never get drunk. I obviously have. I am 22 years old and can honestly say I have been drunk about 5 times in my life. No kidding, no lies. Drinking is not me.

However, margaritas are the best! Margarita's are my favorite alcoholic drink by far. I love them. They are so relaxing, go down smooth, and can actually be enjoyed.

I think I get this from my Mawmaw on my Mom's side. Seriously, I do take after her in a bunch of different ways. As I age and change my ways, I see more and more of her coming out in me. It's actually quite scary, and Mr. Man always jokes about it. But my Mawmaw is an awesome person, very traditional, and has high morals and values. It's definitely ok to take after her.

I have a very memorable story with margaritas and Mawmaw. When Mr. Man and I were stationed in Texas, my family would come and visit quite a bit. It would always be my Mom, Mawmaw, and brother. For Labor Day weekend, they came to visit me. Mr. Man was deployed at the time, so it was just the 4 of us. We decided to go eat at one of my favorite mexican restaurants and then go to a museum. At the time I was 19, barely. When we enter the restaurant, we grab a sit and start looking at the menu. The waiter comes and asks us what we would like to drink. Mom orders first (Coke), my brother next (Dr. Pepper), and then Mawmaw (She says, "I will take a margarita on the rocks with extra salt and a glass of water."). The waiter looks at me and I say, "I'll have the same." I was giggling thinking he would ask me for a form of ID and then I would obviously say I was joking, which really I was. But then he did not say anything, so I was like Ok, fine. I guess I'm drinking a margarita with my Mawmaw, FINALLY! I drank the margarita, she drank hers. My Mom fussed a bit because she does not drink at all. She does not believe in it. But she did get over it fast. We sipped our margaritas, and I broke out my camera!

My beautiful Mawmaw and me, at only 19 years old.

(Gosh, that is 3 years ago! Yikes!)

I am so glad that I had that opportunity. I am so glad that I did it. I am so glad that it was fate because I seriously was just kidding when I said that. But truly now, when I go out and get a drink, it is always "margarita on the rocks, extra salt, and a glass of water. My Mawmaw always orders that when we are out and she is going to have a drink. She does not drink often, but she does enjoy a cold one from time to time. Really, now that I turned 21 in a country that allows drinking at such a young age, I am glad I experienced it when "it was still fun" to do that. You know, not be old enough to really drink, but still do it. It made it seem cool. It was something that I really wanted to do when I turned 21, but I had experienced it all by then. So being young and doing it was perfect!

So now to my wishlist. I love margaritas. I love getting with my friends that also love maragaritas and wasting the night away. So on my wishlist today is some handy dandy margarita tools that I want! (Hint, Hint Mr. Man!)

1.) Got to have the awesome glasses.

2.) And the charms on the glasses, so everyone can tell theirs apart from the rest.

3.) Of course, I need something that will make some awesome margaritas itself and keep it cool. My friend has this one, and I love, love, love it!

4.) You need some margarita mix in order to even make margaritas.

5.) And because I always ask for the extra salt... even when I'm at friend's house!

Have I mentioned that Macy's is flippin' awesome! Seriously, I spent less than $20 and got a crazy amount of adorable things! All together I purchased 1 cardigan, 1 skirt, 1 tank top, and 4 cute, cute, cute dresses!

Here's the deal. I did cheat. I wear Junior's for one thing. For another, I searched around the net for some online vouchers, and I shopped the clearance. Then I realized that they were doing the if you spend $50 on Junior's clothing, you get free shipping. Needless to say, I went over the $50 (which was how much my vouchers were for) so I could get the free shipping. Either way, I would have either paid $15 for shipping with only 5 items, or less than $20 with free shipping with 7 items. I'm going with the 7 items for $20.

I am way beyond excited! I can not wait to get them in. Even Mr. Man thought they were 100% adorable! I can not believe they actually had my size in the clearance area. That is a complete shocker.

I told you guys I am a shopaholic... :)

So the bedsheets that I got in yesterday. We slept on them last night. I slept like a baby. I did not once wake up in the middle of my sleep. I normally do wake up 2 or 3 times in the night to use the bathroom or whatever, but nothing last night! I was so comfortable! Even our baby boy loved them. He snuggled up to the extra soft spots. It was way cute. He even crawled back in bed after I woke up and started moving around. He never does that!

More exciting news. Mr. Man is not participating in the next exercise! Only because he will be going TDY for 2 and a half weeks, which is in the middle of the exercise. I'm not complaining. I will not have to mess my schedule up again! Works for me. I will be starting my next term, which I am doubling up on again. I will have my hands full with that, so it works out. The next exciting thing is..... it's official! We are going to Ireland over the Thanksgiving holidays. I know Mr. Man got approved a couple of weeks ago, and I mentioned it. But this time it is in the books (not on AF terms, but on supervisor/shop terms). I am way excited. More than ever, actually! I booked our flights today! YAY!

For the surprise!

My giveaway ends July 31st, so for my new readers (and not so new readers), I am not giving 3 extra entries to anyone that posts about my giveaway! For each time you blog about it (until the 31st), you get 3 extra entries. Be sure to go to the original post and put that you blogged about it, the date, and where I can find the post. And for those of you new readers (and not so new readers) that have not had the opportunity to ask me questions, if you do so, you will get 2 extra entries for doing so. For those of you that already asked me questions, I will give each of you your extra entries for being so sweet and doing it! I really, really want to answer the questions that have been asked before, so give me some more so I can actually have a full post on it!

Don't forget that I told you guys if I have 170 readers by August, I will giveaway some goodies from here, England! I am currently at 162, so just a few more to go! If we reach it, in September I will host that giveaway!

Monday, July 26, 2010

First off, I want to say Hi to my new readers. If you have not heard, I am currently hosting a giveaway to CSN stores. It is for $50 or £50. You can use it to any of their stores, which there are over 200 of them. For more information on this giveaway, click here. If you are new, I also would like to get to know you. So introduce yourself on this post and leave your blog URL, so I can check you out, too!

Now, on to the sheets I finally got in the mail.

Remember when I posted about looking for new bedsheets... and was considering this one.

Well, I ended up purchasing it. I decided that even though I was slightly wishy-washy of it, those reasons were bogus. After debating the pros and cons of it, I bought it with the thought of wanting to buy 2 sets anyways. We always have two sets of bedsheets. They generally all match in some way, so when I wash I have another set to put on. Plus, here the differences in temperature is huge, so we have winter tops and summer tops for the beds. Seriously, I know I am a maniac when it comes to the bed, so there's no need to tell me. :)

So I bought it, and it came in today. I was not expecting it until late August because that is what the shipping confirmation said. I was ok with it because it is a comforter and for the winter months. When I got it home, I kept telling myself I had to finish school work before I could touch my packages (I got 3 in). I sat at the computer and accomplished the school work. I was so excited about opening my box, but the excitement grew once I saw the actual bedsheets.

They were nicely packed, and on the outside of the packaging was each piece labeled in their own little pocket. It was way neat. I was mesmerized. I just sat there and looked at it, took a picture of it (to saw Mr. Man later when he gets home), and stared at it some more. My mind was saying, "Wow, you know you spent a lot of money on these sheets when it looks like this." and "Wow, you know it's great quality when it looks perfect in the packaging and you just do not want to take it out." I finally took it out!

Once I got it all upstairs, I realized that I should probably wait until Mr. Man gets home because of the skirt. I figured I would not be able to put it on just perfect, and me with my perfectness with things like this is something that will bother me for decades if it is not fixed. I decided to just give it a shot anyway. I was way excited, could not contain the excitement or the adrenaline rush (ha!). The adrenaline probably provided the strength to pick up the top mattress by myself and lean it off to the side, so I could put the skirt on. I put the skirt on and stared at it in amazement. (I know, a lot of staring going on!) I put the mattress back on top of it and grabbed the sheets. AHHHHH, they were so soft and cuddly. I could have just laid up in a ball with those sheets in my hand and have been completely happy and comfortable, but I did not. I put them on the bed. I tucked them all in nice and neat. I even put the comforter on. Way to hot for a comfortable, but I had to! I still left our little blanket out for us tonight, but my comforter will stay in place until we go to bed. I put the decorative pillows on the bed and the regular ones and stared at it in amazement, again!

I came back to the computer and emailed Mr. Man exactly what I just did and how I loved it. I can not wait for him to see it and feel it. I think he will think he is in heaven or camped out on a cloud. I bet our sleep will be a deep and peaceful sleep tonight!

P.S.-- No, I did not wash the sheets before I put them on the bed. Shame on me. I know that is horrible, and I normally do it with everything (other paranoid-ness for me). But I thought about how sometimes I buy new clothes, and I just want to wear them right then and there. It could not be much different, right? So the sheets are on my bed unironed and unwashed! But they are still heavenly!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

A couple of weeks back I received a blog award titled "One Lovely Blogger!" It was giving to me by Flip Flops and Combat Boots! Thanks so much Nicole for giving me this award!

The rules are easy. To accept, I need to share 7 things about myself and pass the award onto 9 other lovely blogs.

7 things about me are:

I have been collecting Disney movies since I was in high school. I knew one day I wanted a family, and when that day came, I wanted to have a nice collection for my children.

I am obsessed with candles and other smell goods. My scents are Cinnamon and Bayberry, Lemon Lavender, Apple Cinnamon, Pumpkin Spice, and French Vanilla. My candles are always lit in my house, especially on Sundays. The add a sense of relaxation and peacefulness to our home. Mr. Man adores candles, too, so it works out.

My favorite style of food is Chinese. If you have not already figured that out, then I am putting it in plain writing for you to read. When I decide to treat myself to something yummy, forget chocolate, cheesecake, cupcakes, or brownies... I want Chinese food!

I have never fully completed a TV series. I get bored with them and sometimes I feel they just run in a circle. Although I still watch them while Mr. Man is away. They help pass the time.

I am a Harry Potter fan. I love it way more than Twilight. My hype for Twilight has been way, way, way down, but my love for Harry Potter has remained enormous from the beginning.

I have a purse and shoe addiction. I spend more money on these items than anything else. Although kitchen gadgets do make a close run with them.

I am not much of a chocolate lover. I will choose cheesecake, something fruity, and vanilla ice cream over anything chocolate. My favorite cake is lemon! Cadbury's chocolate is pretty awesome, and Belgium hot chocolate is by far the very best!

Since I have seen this blog make its rounds within my blog friends, I will not be passing this one on. But if you haven't (k'8iuj <-- Mr. Man says to leave his mark.. It adds character.) received this yet, please take it for yourself because you all deserve it!

The next wonderful blog award I won is called "You're going places, Baby!" It was giving to me from Stetsons, Spurs, and Stilettos. Thanks, girl, for this wonderful award!

The rules for this award is to describe where you see yourself in 10 years and pass it on to 10 other bloggers.

Describe where I see myself in 10 years.

In 10 years, I will be 32. That will still be very young. By then, I hope to have a solid career. Something that is satisfying and indulging while still being an Air Force wife. I hope to have a few children running around the house. At 32, I hope I am not done having kids, but I guess that is something I will have to wait out and see for myself. I hope to still be enjoying life and traveling as much as possible. I love to travel, and I hope to never have to give it up. I hope to have traveled to at least 5 different countries by then, and 5 other states from the ones I have already been to. By that time, we will have began planning for Mr. Man's retirement. Hopefully, we will have already discussed our life after the military, where we will be, and have started working on building our home. Hopefully, this will all consist of being in good ole Louisiana with a pond on the property, a swimming pool, a couple of large outside dogs, along with kids running around, and fun animals with lots of property. I do not have big hopes and dreams, now do I? I hope my healthy and fitness is still on as far as eating and excerising (I am sure my hips will have spread by then). That is about it. I want a simple life similar to what I have now, just with a little extras.

Now, I will not pass this to 10 people because I believe in passing them to who truly deserves them.

L.C. @ Faith & Deployments- I am just now getting to know this wonderful girl and blog, but I look forward to reading more. She is a wonderful person with a good outlook on life. She is also Air Force and currently going through a deployment.

Emily @ Longley's in San Diego- This girl totally has a piece of my heart because she is always posting such yummy recipes!

Rambling Military Wife- She really does ramble, but it all such great rambles. I enjoy reading her blog and getting to know her. You should check her out, too!

Lauren @ That 22 year old Housewife- Lauren is an amazing person. She is also 22 (like me)! She hosts a blog hop on Friday's that are called "Friendship Friday." It's about finding blog friends, not about "following for the numbers." Next week, I will be featured in this blog hop, so be sure to check it and her out!

Friday, July 23, 2010

1. Besides the horizontal mambo, what do you miss most when your spouse is deployed?
Horizontal Mambo.. is that what it is called now? --ha! Great one!

I totally miss everything about Mr. Man. I miss his snuggles, our family time, him picking on me, watching movies late at night, traveling together on weekends, cooking together, sleeping side by side at night, taking showers together, and working out together. I miss him doing the dishes for me... I hate dishes!

2. What do you miss least?
Is that possible? I mean yea, we get on each others nerves from time to time, but when he is away, I miss everything.. including his sarcasm.

3. You only get three crayons to finish your picture… which three do you choose and why?
My picture of life? I would go with yellow because it is bright and cheery, which defines me. I would go with a shimmery pink color because it's girly, and I am extra girly. The last color would be white because I carry a sense of innocence.

If it was an art picture, I would probably be coloring in a coloring book. I still do that, you know. I love to color! If I was coloring and I picked out the page to color, it would be a big, bubbly picture with something girly, cute, or colorful. Like flowers/butterflies, a Disney Princess, or a clown. I would definitely use yellow, pink, and red. Then I would be begging to add some purple and possibly neon green.

4. If you could have your own fragrance, what would it be called?
Hmm, I am not too creative on this question. I am not really a fragrance girl either. I have my perfumes, but that is the extent of my thoughts on it.

5. If the shoes make the man (or woman), what do your shoes say about you right now?
Well since I am not wearing shoes, I will describe my collection of shoes. Shoes are seriously a bad addiction I have. When Mr. Man leaves for months at a time, I accumulated about 5 pairs of shoes a month. No lie. So my shoe collection would define me as laid-back, bright, casual, comfortable, short (because I have so many heels! and I really am short.), creative, different, natural, athletic, and confident.

I am 100% Cajun, born and raised in Southwest Louisiana. I married my high school sweetheart at just 17 years of age on July 1, 2006. I live an Air Force life, following my husband around the world, only to experience what life has to offer. We have two beautiful daughters whom has helped in developing the people we have become. True love begins and never ends... and that is us!